South Korea Shrugs Off Trump’s Latest Threat to Draw Down Troops
- Trump says U.S. losing money on South Korea trade and military
- Kim would do ‘victory dance’ if U.S. pulled troops: commander
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South Korea had a muted reaction after President Donald Trump hinted the administration might roll back military support for its longtime ally, a threat that came as the two sides seek to overhaul their trade deal while also disarming Kim Jong Un.
“We have a very big trade deficit with them, and we protect them,” Trump said Wednesday, according to an audio recording of a speech he delivered to donors in Missouri, which was obtained by the Washington Post. “We lose money on trade, and we lose money on the military. We have right now 32,000 soldiers on the border between North and South Korea. Let’s see what happens.”